Obama, Romney clash on foreign policy in final debate

Correspondent Michael Brissenden reports on the third and...

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Snap polls have declared US president Barack Obama the winner of his third and final debate against Republican challenger Mitt Romney.

Neither man threw a knock-out punch or made a noticeable gaffe in the 90-minute encounter at Lynn University in Boca Raton, Florida.

Mr Obama accused Mr Romney of being wrong in all his foreign policy choices, while the Republican said the president's policies toward the Middle East and North Africa were not stopping a resurgence of the threat from Al Qaeda.

"Attacking me is not an agenda," Mr Romney said.

"Attacking me is not how we deal with the challenges of the Middle East."

"I congratulate him (Mr Obama) on taking out Osama bin Laden and going after the leadership in Al Qaeda, but we can't kill our way out of this mess."

The president hit back, saying his rival sent mixed messages and had been "all over the map" on foreign policy.

"What we need to do with respect to the Middle East is strong, steady leadership... not wrong and reckless leadership," Mr Obama said, as the two men sat across the table from moderator Bob Schieffer.

Governor, when it comes to our foreign policy, you seem to want to import the foreign policies of the 1980s, just like the social policies of the 1950s and the economic policies of the 1920s.

President Barack Obama

"I know you haven't been in a position to actually execute foreign policy, but every time you've offered an opinion, you've been wrong."

Mr Obama said Mr Romney, by declaring Russia a "geopolitical foe" of the US, was seeking to return the country to a long-abandoned Cold War stance.

"The Cold War has been over for 20 years," Mr Obama said.

The president, who withdrew troops from Iraq, also pointed to Mr Romney's past statements in support of keeping a US military presence in the country that was attacked in 2003 under former Republican president George W Bush.

"Governor, when it comes to our foreign policy, you seem to want to import the foreign policies of the 1980s, just like the social policies of the 1950s and the economic policies of the 1920s," Mr Obama said.

The president also had a biting response when Mr Romney said he would increase the number of ships built by the US Navy, saying America should typically have 300 and only had 285.

"Governor, we also have fewer horses and bayonets," Mr Obama said, adding that analysing military capabilities was not "a game of Battleship".

'Critical opportunity'

The debate was the last major opportunity for either candidate to appeal directly to millions of voters.

The debate was the last major opportunity for either candidate to appeal directly to millions of voters.

Reuters: Michael Reynolds

Mr Romney offered a dismal assessment of Mr Obama's foreign policy, pointing to bloodshed in Syria and in Libya - where four Americans including the US ambassador were killed last month - and twice mentioning Al Qaeda gains in Mali.

Mr Romney, while rejecting direct intervention in Syria, said the US should be doing more to bring an end to the violence and to the regime of president Bashar al-Assad.

"This is a critical opportunity for America," Mr Romney said, accusing Mr Obama of turning Syria policy over to former UN-Arab League envoy Kofi Annan in an unsuccessful attempt to bring about a ceasefire.

"That didn't work. Then (Mr Obama) looked to the Russians saying, see if you can do something.

I congratulate him (Mr Obama) on taking out Osama bin Laden and going after the leadership in Al Qaeda, but we can't kill our way out of this mess.

Governor Mitt Romney

"We should be playing the leadership role there - not on the ground with military."

Mr Obama called the violence in Syria "heartbreaking".

"And that's why we are going to do everything we can to make sure that we are helping the opposition," Mr Obama said.

"But we also have to recognise that for us to get more entangled militarily in Syria is a serious step."

Mr Obama also rejected a New York Times report that said the US had agreed to one-on-one talks with Iran on Tehran's nuclear program.

"Those are reports in the newspaper, they are not true," Mr Obama said.

Election analysts say the debate will have little effect on the outcome of next month's election because most voters are focused on economic issues.

A CBS News poll said 53 per cent believed Mr Obama won the debate versus 23 per cent for Mr Romney and 24 per cent calling it a draw. A CNN poll put Mr Obama as the winner by 8 percentage points.

It seems like someone gave Romney the same drug that they gave the president before the first debate.

I mean, he just, he was trying to run the clock out.

He agreed with him I don't know how many times.

I didn't think he had very much to say, to tell you the truth.

Democrat strategist James Carville

But Republicans believe they are still seeing the benefits of Mr Romney's strong performance in the first debate.

Well I don't think this debate's going to change a thing about the trajectory of this race.

The first debate said it all. And this debate won't stop it.

Mitt Romney's got the momentum.

You've almost got the sense that American people are so focused the economy this cycle, foreign policy debates like this just aren't going to click, they're not going to register, they're not going to move people.

Ari Fleischer, former spokesman for George W Bush

The debate was the last major opportunity for either candidate to appeal directly to millions of voters, especially the roughly 20 per cent who have yet to make up their minds or who could still switch their support.

The two candidates were tied at 46 per cent each in the Reuters/Ipsos online daily tracking poll. Other surveys show a similar picture.